Indonesia: nine orangutans rescued from wildfires return to the forest
Nine orangutans rescued from devastating wildfires in Indonesian Borneo have returned to the forest after weeks of rehabilitation. Among them are four mothers with their young, including three females expecting another baby.
On Thursday, 29 October, nine orangutans rescued from wildfires were returned to their natural habitat in the protected Batu Nyambu forest. The animals, including four mothers with their young, had been found in an oil palm plantation in Ketapang after fires ravaged their environment in August and September.
Veterinary examinations revealed that three of the mothers were pregnant. The orangutans, suffering from burns and malnourishment, spent four to eight weeks recovering at a rehabilitation center before embarking on their journey back to the forest.
Conservationists transported the orangutans via vehicle, boat, and on foot, navigating through the challenging terrain of steep, slippery forests to reach the 23,000-hectare Batu Nyambu area. This site, largely undisturbed and rich in food, was selected for its suitability to support the orangutans' recovery.
The release of the orangutans comes as Indonesia faces increasing concerns over the survival of its critically endangered Bornean orangutans. Since early August, the forestry ministry has reported rescuing at least 51 orangutans from burning forests in West Kalimantan. A monitoring group, Nusantara Atlas, estimates that fires have consumed over 1.9 million hectares of land across Indonesia during the first nine months of 2026.
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